MacBros' Place |

Just about a week ago now me ROGERS YAHOO! E-mail has started to display ads as seen below in the following image.

Rogers Yahoo Mail - Click yo embiggin'

I’m a paying customer, not a user that’s using their free service. To me this is basically spam to me. If I open up my paid e-mail account and I’m being subjected to advertisements, to me this is basically spam.

They have a link in the sidebar explaining about the advertisements, and it read, “Recently, Rogers and Yahoo! jointly introduced advertising content to the Rogers Yahoo! Mail service.”

So basically, they’re saying, there’s nothing you could have done or said to convince us not to flash advertisements in your (the paying customer) face. So screw you! Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-haaaa!

The worst part is when you’re trying to focus on reading an important e-mail (I try to focus, it makes it look like I can actually read) you have these flashy ads blinking and moving in the corner of your eye, distracting your from the real content you’re actually interested in. Like them ads selling pills to make your pecker bigger.

I get enough crap in my e-mail I try to ignore, and now I have to put up with this bullshit??

I went as far as telling them just how I feel about this, in a sorta nice way. Also asking them to implement a way to permanently turn them off. It has now been about 5 days since I sent that message.

I think it’s time to break open the Mozilla e-mail client. So Fuck You ROGERS YAHOO! E-mail!

I don’t think it’s such a good idea to have Yahoo Canada as my homepage when I go to do some browsing or when I open my browser to look something up.

It seem that every time I go to search something I get side tracked with the top news stories and forget why I was going online for in the first place.

I’ll go online, see something on the home page, finish with it and walk away only to go, “DOUGH! I didn’t even do what I was going to do in the first place!” and go back online to continue off where I got side tracked. And you know what? It sometimes happens twice in a row! Hows that for being easily distracted?

Maybe I should use a blank page from now on huh?

Anybody besides me that suffers from distracto-el-dummo syndrom?

I’m actually starting to come around. The sinuses are still a bit Fu#@ed up though and I also have this annoying dry cough too.

I’m not feeling as bad as I have been the past week though, thankfully!

I’ve been offline for a long time and had everything turned off. My web cam, Desktop cam, Yahoo Messenger, Skype, but had the PC running still for my TV Guide listings. The only time I sat here in front of the computer was to check what was going to be on the Boob Tube.

While I was asleep my computer must have made an update and rebooted, when it rebooted it opened all the apps that I usually have running. The ones I stated that I had shut off above.

Seconds of being turned on, Messages started popping up. Waking me up! Grrrrr!

Dragged my ass out of bed and shut it down.

Well I have to go next door and pick up a few things so the cats can eat, and I can print stuff on the printer. Maybe some beer too for when I get off work in the morning, if they call out to me while I’m over there.

TTFN

It’s another round of Upgrading. Some seeded, some could have done without.

First off, it’s the much needed Wordpress 2.3.3 version with a few bug fixes that a few of you multiple author blogs might be interested in. Yea, I know, upgrades are a pain in the ass. But keep reading. I’m going to tell you about something that might make you do back flips!

WordPress 2.3.3 is an urgent security release. A flaw was found in our XML-RPC implementation such that a specially crafted request would allow any valid user to edit posts of any other user on that blog.

If you hate doing these update as much as I do, then the Wordpress Automatic Update plug-in might be something you’re longing for. To make a story short;

Here is what Wordpress Automatic Update does;

1. Backs up the files and makes available a link to download it.
2. Backs up the database and makes available a link to download it.
3. Downloads the latest files from http://wordpress.org/latest.zip and unzips it.
4. Puts the site in maintenance mode.
5. De-activates all active plugins and remembers it.
6. Upgrades wordpress files.
7. Gives you a link that will open in a new window to upgrade installation.
8. Re-activates the plugins.

The plugin can also can be run in a automated mode where in you do not have to click on any links to go to the next step.

I bet that will make a lot of your days, huh?

Secondly, if you have been using your Yahoo TV Guide and happen to live in the Maritimes, specifically in Fredericton NB, you might notice that your Rogers/Yahoo TV guide no longer allows you to actually see the channels provided by your cable company.

Apparently they made an update that was not needed. I say, “If it ain’t broken, then don’t fucking try to fix it!”

So now my usual way of seeing what going to be on the Ole’ boob tube and checking on the TV Show times is now shot to hell because half the stations that I get don’t display in their new format. It doesn’t even allow me to input the necessary information for my location, format, and provider. What’s up with that?

That pisses me off to and mostly because I’ve been using it to set up my PVR to record TV Shows while I’m at work. Bummer!

I hope they fix that thing or revert to the old guide that actually worked.

And the last thing, is either good or bad. I got my credit card statement today and I noticed a lot of extra numbers. Not owing numbers, but the available credit had a lot more numbers in it than just three.

I initially got this so I could have to make online purchases, or for emergencies. It started off with just a $300 limit, as I thought it would be more than enough. Didn’t they go and add an additional $2,000 credit limit on the account.

I have to say that my eyes popped out of my head when I saw this. This is a credit card that is for people with bad credit. LOL It’s to help gain your credit history back.

I don’t have a lot charged on it, so my payments lately have been either null, or very small. And it’s going to stay that way, dammit! So maybe that’s why they jacked it up. Trying to coax me into blowing it all away so I’ll end up owing them more money than I have.

Nice to know it’s there for one of them ‘just in case‘ moments, but I hope that moment never comes.

Have you ever seen them annoying ads on web sites that taunt you to click them and then only be brought to a page that tries to install some sort of Spyware and Adware application to your browser and all your Messaging applications? If you say no, then it’s time to come out from under that rock you have been hiding under, because they’re all over the place.

I have never fallen for them free application offers ever since the first and last time that I tried one out. What I found was it ended up slowing my PC and it was tracking my surfing. I found out when my Adware and Spyware detection software told me about them.

Did you know that there’s a IM application called SweetIM that is actually free from all the adware and spyware? I have installed it and tested it and I have to say, ” These things are hilarious!” Plus there’s no registration either!

I got to thinking about how a service like this makes any money if there is no trace of Spyware or Adware hidden inside it. They state that on their front page which in itself is really funny. So I did some snooping through their FAQ page and found the following entry.

How do you make money?
To support the development of SweetIM and to be able to retire to the Caribbeans, besides free content, we will offer users premium content that they can buy if they choose too. Premium content could be additional packs of winks, emoticons and audibles, premium Ringtones for mobile phones, and commission should users decide to purchase full versions of games online through SweetIM. We also get commissions from our advertising partners when users conduct a search through our toolbar and click on any of the ads. We will never place any spyware and never generate money from selling user’s personal information.

So now I see. That makes complete sense. So if you want more, you can buy more.

If you like these sorta things with your IM applications like MSN Messenger or Yahoo Messenger, then you must get this one because you won’t have to worry about them snooping into your internet habits.

Seriously folks, these things are awesome! They have Emoticons, Winks, Sound Effects, audibles, pictures, and special content that will smash your IM window for example.

There’s one caveat though, the user on the other end needs to have it installed also, otherwise they will just get a link prompting them to get it. So if they don’t have it, you might want to inform them what it is that you are trying to do.

Some really fun stuff here.

I like it, I bet you will to!